A woman from Winnipeg, who pleaded guilty to distributing candies made from cannabis plants containing psychoactive effects to children in 2022, has been ordered to pay a fine of $5,000.

The ruling was pronounced by Judge Raymond Wyant at the Manitoba Provincial Court in central western Canada.

According to the court, the cannabis candies were almost identical to regular candies, but their packaging indicated that they contained 600 milligrams (mg) of the main psychoactive component of cannabis, known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

It is noteworthy that in Canada, legally edible cannabis products can contain only 10 mg of this substance per package.

The Canadian judge said in the courtroom, "The idea that a very young child might ingest tetrahydrocannabinol, and that this could cause permanent injury or death, is such a frightening idea that it cannot be contemplated."

"Yes, that is correct," the defendant in the courtroom replied and sighed.

In the courtroom, the defendant spoke with a trembling voice about how grateful she was that no child was harmed due to her mistake.

She said, "I should not cause concern to any parent about their child obtaining such a dangerous substance while collecting candy on Halloween night, and this was never my intention... I do not expect to be forgiven for what I did and I will not look for excuses for what happened."

Defense lawyer Shaul Simmonds said that his client's mental health was severely affected by the incident. "The idea that she could endanger a child, even accidentally, tortures her," said the lawyer.

For his part, the judge acknowledged the painful impact the incident had on the defendant, emphasizing his commitment to raising awareness about the risks associated with handling cannabis products.

The Manitoba Provincial Court judge said, "These drugs can fall into the wrong hands, sometimes in ways we could never imagine, but we are ultimately responsible for them."

According to court documents, Tammy Sigurdur distributed edible cannabis products in children’s bags after running out of candy at her home on Halloween night.

Without supervision, she filled small plastic bags with various candies from the cupboard, unaware that dozens of these bags contained marijuana or hashish candies.

The error only came to light when a parent contacted the police after discovering one of the products in their child's Halloween candy.

At the time of the incident, Winnipeg police, in the capital of Manitoba, received more than ten reports of cannabis-containing candy being distributed to children in the Tuxedo neighborhood on October 31, 2022.

Ms. Sigurdur realized her mistake only when she recognized the plastic bags she had prepared through posts published on social media. Shortly afterwards, she and her husband went to the police and gave long, detailed statements about what happened.

In 2023, the Winnipeg woman pleaded guilty to providing drugs to minors, while charges against her husband were suspended last November.